Creating Standard Position Samples

EPMA Probe

Creating Standard Position Samples

To digitize standard positions, the standard to be digitized must first be added to the run using the Standard | Add/Remove Standards To/From Run menu (see menus in main log window of Probe for EPMA).

 

To create a new standard position sample, first select the sample type as Standard and then simply click the desired standard from the list box. The standard position sample will automatically be created (in the Automate! position sample list) if it did not already exist. Normally a single random (individual) digitized position is sufficient for the digitization of a standard position if the standard is large and homogeneous to permit automatic incrementing based on the X and Y increments in the Automate! window. The program will automatically increment the X and Y positions for subsequent point acquisitions based on the increment fields in the Automate! window. However, if specific positions are digitized for a standard position sample, the program will use those positions for automated acquisitions.

 

A new feature is that the program displays BMP electron image files of the standards in the standard blocks. The program looks for any BMP files in the StandardPOSFileDirectory as defined in the PROBEWIN.INI file [Standards] section,  (defaults to UserDataDirectory$ if not defined) and if it finds a match to any file (first 4 characters) of the standard number it loads it. For example standard MgO entered as 12 in the STANDARD.MDB database could be a file called "0012_MgO_Block2.bmp" or  "0012_Periclase_Block4.BMP". Both image files will be loaded during standard digitization (when the standard is clicked in the Digitize Sample Positions dialog ).